Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Hellos and Goodbyes

We had our last Zone Conference this week with President and Sister Summerhays.  They have one more transfer to do before their three years are up.  We have really enjoyed working with them and will miss them, but we knew when we were called here that we would only serve five months with them.  I can’t believe we have been on our mission for four months already.

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Elder and Sister Johnson, on the left, are the office couple and will be leaving in June also.  They have been serving for 23 months.  They live in Rexburg and said they would go by and see Grandma Ward when they get home.  They have done such a great job taking care of all the details of the mission.  They will be greatly missed also.

Our biggest surprise was the new CES couple who came last week and who we saw for the first time at the Zone Conference.  Elder and Sister Marshall, on the right, came from Cortez, Colorado and have been working in the Monticello Temple since they got married three years ago. She just retired from school teaching so they decided to serve a mission.  She said they know the Chamberlains.  Elder Marshall is originally from Pima, Arizona and moved to Cortez after they were married.  He and Rod grew up together. What a surprise when they walked in the he and Rod recognized each other.  Another connection for Rod. We are going to enjoy getting to know each other and spending some fun p-days together.

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We also got to spend some time in the Columbus Temple with Ashley Groetzinger who  received her endowments.  The people in the picture are, from left to right, Patty Wylie. Sister Green, Nancy Groetzinger, Elder Green, Ashley, Mike Orum, Patty Johnson, AD Wilson, Allison Carman, and Pam Wilson.  Chuck Wylie was taking the picture.  Ashley graduated from BYUI and knew Kara, Riley and Michael there.  Small world. Patty Wylie is in the RS presidency and Chuck is the ward mission leader.  Nancy is Ashley’s mother and one of the sweetest people I know and a long-time member.  Mike is in the elder’s quorum presidency and was baptized just two years ago.  Patty Johnson recently lost her husband and this was her first time back to the temple since he died.  She said she felt him there with her.  AD is the first counselor in the bishopric and he and Pam are Addiction Recovery Missionaries.  Allison is our RS president.  It feels like we have known these good people all our lives.

After the temple we drove the two hours back to Wheeling and then an hour on to Greentree in Pittsburgh for stake conference. It was six hours total driving with four hours of temple and meetings.  The men also had priesthood leadership for another two hours.  What a great day!

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I finally got a picture of our great Wheeling Elders and the Zone Leaders.  Elder Garner, Elder Neerings, Elder Florence and Elder Jeromchek.  We really love these young men.

We are having a wonderful time doing this work and getting to know all these wonderful people. I am so grateful we get to spend our whole mission in Wheeling.

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